Chains
by Crowsnight66
Summary: With his father in a coma, what was Allen supposed to do? That man never mentioned sex trafficking or forced prostitution. Allen finds a new family in the other victims and in a few months, all that's left of him is a shell. A shell of fear that can be bought for its body. There was no way he could be saved. Or maybe he could. AllenKandaAllen. Warnings inside. PLEASE R/R!
1. Stolen

**Warning: This story is rated T for sex trafficking, prostitution, rape, shounen-ai/yaoi, abuse, and violence.**

_**Chains**_

_Chapter 1: Stolen_

"I'm sorry, Allen. The law won't allow us to hire minors less than fourteen years of age," the man said. I nod and glue a smile to my face. "I understand, Mr. Tiedoll. Thank you."

Tiedoll returned the smile before he walked down the hall of the animal shelter. This was the ninth business I'd visited. No one would hire me because I'm only twelve. It sucks.

I walk out the door and make my way back to the hospital where my father laid in a coma due to a car accident. Doctors said he didn't show any signs of recovery.

"Hey, kid."

I turn to see an overweight man with an umbrella. His smile sends chills up my spine. "Are you looking for a job?"

"Yeah," I say. He takes a step forward. I step back.

"You're in luck. I have a business with no age requirements." He points towards a black van. "Plenty of kids get paid big bucks for it."

"What's the job?" I ask, still keeping my distance.

"Customer service," he says.

"Customer service?"

He nods. "You do manual labor for a few clients. One customer pays up to three-hundred."

I perk. "Really?"

"Yes, I wouldn't lie."

I look at the van. "How do I join?"

"Just come with me," he said. As he waddled towards the van, I follow. He opened the back door and gestured for me to get in. My foot had hardly touched the floor when I felt a hard shove from behind. In the darkness of the van with tinted windows, hands held me down while I kicked. "Help! Someone help m―!"

A towel is pushed into my mouth. "Shut up!"

It was a different man. From the number of hands on me, there were two men plus the man I'd met, who started the van. I'm flipped over to my stomach, a knee in the small of my back. I wince as my hands are bound with duct tape.

"You're ours now," one man whispered in my ear. I attempt to kick him, but my other captor duct taped my ankles together. An acute pain pierces my side, and I try to scream. Nothing came out other than muffled cries as tears well in my eyes.

_Mana! Mana, please! Help me!_

I cry out again, but this time, a hand grabbed the back of my head and banged in on the floor. It all went black.

oO_Oo_oO_Oo

A headache was the first thing I felt. Next was a cold, hard floor. Almost like concrete. The sound of voices followed.

"Do you think he's alright?"

"Lenalee, they wouldn't injury him too badly yet."

"But Kanda…."

"I've been here long enough to know that. They only care enough to keep us alive. We're worthless if we can't perform."

I pull at my bonds slightly and cough.

"He's awake!"

"Really? I didn't notice."

"Stop being a jerk and untie him."

"Get Lavi to do it."

"You know Lavi's too tired."

A curse. Then warm hands are on my wrists. The tape felt more like rope at this point, and I hiss.

"Relax."

The somewhat deep voice left no room for argument. I wince as the tape is pulled away, probably out of my skin. I roll over and look at my bloody wrists. It hurt to move.

"Stay still."

A boy knelt by my ankles, tearing the bonds restraining me. His blue-black hair hung as a dull veil around him and even in the dark, I could see his dark blue eyes fixed on my skin. Dirt, bruises, and scars covered him. His muscle shirt was torn in several places, as well as his jeans. His shirt barely came to his navel, and I could see his ribs easily.

He pried the last of the tape from my ankles. I sigh in relief and push myself into a sitting position. "Thank you."

He looked up at me. "What's your name?"

"Allen Walker."

"Kanda. Welcome to the underworld."

"Kanda!" the feminine voice from earlier scolded. A girl appeared, her hair black and short. Her body and clothes were in the same shape as Kanda's, but she wore spandex instead. Her long legs bore target-like scars, almost like burn marks. She looked at me. "Sorry, he doesn't work well with newbies."

"So he was joking?" I ask. She moved her gaze to the concrete floor. "No, he wasn't."

Kanda stood. "Ever heard of sex trafficking? Forced prostitution?"

I nod. "Y-yeah."

"It's worse than it sounds on TV," he says.

The sun shined through the single barred window. The room was like a cave, littered with dirty blankets. Close to a dozen other kids were in the shadows, watching me. There were bars over what looked like a tunnel, though I could see that it was a door.

The girl tried to change the topic. "I'm Lenalee, by the way."

I nod, but don't say anything. There was no point. But after a moment, curiosity got the best of me. "How…how old are you?"

Lenalee continued to stare at the ground. "Eleven."

I glance at Kanda, who had leaned against the wall. He muttered, "Fourteen." He paused. "What about you?"

"Twelve," I answer quietly.

"Ever had sex before?"

I shake my head quickly. He opened his mouth, but the lights in the barred tunnel came on. A tall, well-dressed man unlocked the cage door, a belt in his hand. "Get to your rooms. Now!"

Most of the kids, including Lenalee, ran past him into the tunnel. They disappeared behind different curves next to stocky men. Kanda pulled me up and walked towards the man. "Let the new guy work with me tonight, Tyki."

The man, Tyki, narrowed his eyes. "And why should I do that?"

"Think about the money. Two boys, one experienced and the other a virgin. You could charge five times as much."

Tyki's eyes bored into me. I inched behind Kanda a little.

"Fine, but if you try something, you'll get more than a new flare."

Kanda didn't reply. I closely follow the bluenette down the tunnel. The curves were actually doors. One of them read "Raven Dancer". Kanda walked into it and I darted in behind him, the door guard thoroughly creeping me out as the door shut.

Inside the room, two lamps lit the windowless space. A king size bed was in the center of the room, and Kanda sat on it. I stood next to him. "Um…what are we doing in here?"

"You do know what prostitution is, right?" he asked in reply. I nod. "Yeah."

He sighed. "Men are going to come in here, and we have to serve them."

"Serve them?"

"Let them rape us."

My eyes widen. "What are you talking about?! I thought that…that we had to work…or something!"

"Has anyone ever told you that you have a late reaction time?"

I go to the door and twist the knob. It didn't budge. I kick it. "Let me out!"

Arms pull me away. "It's no use. You'll get beaten."

Tears come to my eyes. "B-but…Mana…he's alone…."

Kanda dragged me to the bed and sat me down. "Then do what you can to stay alive."

"Why are you so calm?! Are you really okay with this?!" I cry. He shakes his head. "Are you a moron? No, I'm not okay with this. I've been here for six years. I learned how to act. It's not like I haven't tried escaping before."

I look up at him, his image blurry from my tears. "What…what happened…?"

He pulled his tattered shirt up. On the left side of his chest, there was a three carved into his skin and a half circle around it with lightning-like streaks coming from it. "Each flare is from a time I've tried."

There were close to two dozen of them.

I ask, "Will it hurt? When they…."

"Yes," he says. "It'll probably be the most painful thing you've ever experienced. I'll try to take as much of it as I can, but I can't keep you safe completely."

"You hardly know me. Why would you do that?"

"It has nothing to do with how well I know you. You're part of the family now. We take care of each other."

He stares off into space, and I say, "It doesn't seem that way."

"What?" Kanda looks at me.

"You act like a big brother. This 'family' doesn't take care of each other; you take care of them."

He pauses. "I guess you could say that."

The door opens. A man with platinum blonde hair walks in. "Well, who's this?"

I duck a little behind Kanda as he says, "He's the new one. Unnamed at the moment."

"Mighty cute," the man says. "My name's Jack."

"He's a regular," Kanda adds. I inspect Jack, but he seemed better than what I had expected. Key word is "seemed". Kanda leans down to my ear and whispers, "Compared to some of my other regulars, you got lucky. He'll be gentle."

Jack walked over to the bed and looked at me with dark green eyes. "You're a virgin?"

I nod and try to scoot behind Kanda. Jack smiled sadly. "I'm sorry you got dragged into this."

"Then why do you buy?" Kanda spat.

"I'm a scumbag pedophile. It's not something I'm proud of, and I don't like sex trafficking. That might make me a hypocrite, but at least I'm not rough like your other clients," Jack said. Kanda glared at him, but didn't say anything.

The first hour went by, and Jack left. It was disgusting. I wanted and needed a shower. If I had eaten, I would have vomited. My butt hurt, but not nearly as much as after Kanda's next client.

Then came the third customer.

"I heard you were a feisty one," the man snarled. Kanda glared at him. "Weird way of putting it. I just don't like being raped and beaten, so I don't know where you got the word 'feisty' in all of that."

The man walked over to the bed where Kanda sat. I huddled in the corner, still in recovery from the second client. I watched as the man straddled Kanda and flipped him over. After he looked to the side to keep from suffocating, the bluenette looked at me and mouthed, "Don't look. Close your eyes and don't look."

But I didn't. I stared in horror while the man pulled off his belt and struck Kanda's back. The young teen gasped. The second achieved a cry of pain. The man leaned down to Kanda's ear. "I want to hear you scream, to hear you beg for me to stop."

Kanda coughed and after the third strike, blood splattered the white sheets. Despite that, the bluenette growled, "I will _never_ beg. Not for a sick sadist like you to stop your torture."

"Oh, you like it?"

_Crack!_

"You like the pain?"

_Crack!_

Kanda took all but a spanking for me. The fourth client liked me more than Kanda. The fifth got off on seeing us together.

After the sixth guy finished with Kanda and left, the guard told us to go back to the main room. It hurt to walk. Like every step I took, a thorn wedged itself further into me. Kanda didn't even limp, even after he'd been raped four times, two of those times much more roughly than the others, and been whipped with a leather belt. His clothes didn't hide anything, but it was the same for everyone. Except me. Other than my limp, I was pretty much perfect on the outside. My short-sleeved shirt and jeans hid the bruise on my upper arms and the inside of my thighs.

When everyone returned, I noticed a flaming red-haired boy next to Lenalee, wearing a black t-shirt and what looked like once white jeans. The girl leaned against him and whispered something. I could see the tears run down her cheeks.

Kanda sat away from the others, in a dark corner. The rest of the kids huddled together in a mound of dirty blankets. I move towards the bluenette and settle beside him. He looks at me, his eyes only visible by a tiny gleam. "Go sleep with them." He nodded towards the others. "It's warmer."

"But what about you?" I ask.

"I keep watch."

"Keep watch over what?"

"Sometimes, a customer will come in during the morning hours. I take care of those."

"You need sleep just as much as we do."

"Lavi splits it with me."

"Lavi?"

"The redhead taking care of Lenalee."

I nod. Kanda leans his head against the wall and stares at the cage door. I notice his grimace as he tries to get comfortable. I whisper, "Thank you, Kanda. For…doing what you did."

He sighs. "It was nothing."

I shake my head. "Stubborn moron."

"Shut up," he muttered.

A shiver runs up my spine. He glances at me. "Go get some sleep." He lightly nudges me towards the group in the other corner. "Go."

I press closer to him. "No, you helped me. Now I'm going to keep you warm."

"We'll see how long you say that. In a week, you'll be nothing but skin and bones. In a month, you'll have had your first real beating. In a year, you'll be a shell."

I shake my head. "No, I won't. I'll get back to Mana or die trying."

Kanda flicks my forehead.

"What was that for?!" I say.

"Don't throw your life around." He pauses. "I'm amazed you can even function properly. Most shutdown after the first night."

I look down at my wrists, covered in scabs. "I just tried to go somewhere else in my mind."

"That's the best thing to do."

I shiver again and yawn. Kanda says, "Go to sleep. Your nights will only get rougher from here."

Being careful not to touch of any wounds he might have that I can't see, I curl up against the bluenette. He slips an arm around me, and I let out a small purr.

Oo_oO_Oo_oO

The next morning, I woke up with more than one body pressed against mine. I open my eyes. Somewhere in the night, or morning, Kanda must have moved me into the big group. But he was still beside me, so I didn't mind that much.

"You'll have to change that," Kanda said. I glanced at him. "What?"

He kept his eyes closed. "You sleep like a rock. Bad habit in this line of work."

"Line of work?"

"Bad habit when you could get whipped for being asleep. Better?"

I wince. "Not really."

Cold hands slip under my shirt and up my back. I squeak, "Kanda?!"

"It's not me."

A girl with blue, spiky hair nuzzled into my chest. "Sorry…you're warm…."

I cover my mouth when I see the rest of her body, how frail and small she was.

Kanda's hand slithered over my hip and brought the girl closer. "Road. She's the youngest one of us."

"How old…?"

"Eight. Almost nine." He sighed. "She was born into the trade as far as I know."

I curl my arms around Road. "I'm so sorry."

"If you're sorry now, wait until they put her onto the list of girls who are allowed to have anal sex," Kanda said into my neck.

"You mean she hasn't already?"

"They like to wait until the girls are nine before they allow it. They charge extra," he says. "I didn't think Lenalee would ever stop crying after her first time."

"That's because it hurts, smart one," a feminine voice muttered from somewhere in the pile.

"Anyone know what time it is?" a boy asked.

I felt Kanda move beside me before he settled again. "Nearly sunrise."

"Kanda, will you give me a massage before my shift?" I recognize Lenalee's voice. "I think my backdoor ripped, and one of the guys was really kinky."

"Matthew?" someone asked.

Lenalee said, "No, he's new. Spencer, I think. He bought over two hundred extra in toys."

"I'm sorry, sweetie," the other girl said.

Kanda moved away from me. "If you want that massage, you better get up, Lena."

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" she said. There was a grunt, and she said, "Sorry, Daisya!"

A boy said, "It's fine. I didn't need that finger anyways."

I look over my shoulder to see Lenalee lay down on her stomach, a rag of a blanket between her and the ground. Kanda pushed up her shirt to reveal bruises, scars, and shallow, fairly recent-looking lacerations. As he worked his hands down her back and arms, he asked, "Is your lower back bothering you?"

She hisses momentarily before she answers, "Yeah. It wasn't bad the last couple of nights, but that Spencer guy made it start hurting again."

A few minutes later, the tunnel light came on, and Tyki appeared. "Day shifts. Come on!"

As two girls and four boys, including Lavi, rushed to the door, Lenalee stood and gave Kanda a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thanks. See you tonight."

He nods. "Just promise you'll come back."

She nods and darts off, narrowly avoiding Tyki's belt.

_She never slows down. She doesn't know why, but she knows that when she's all alone, feels like it's all coming down. She won't turn around. The shadows are long, and she fears if she cries that first tear, the tears will not stop raining down._

_So stand in the rain. Stand your ground. Stand up when it's all crashing down. You stand through the pain. You won't drown. And one day, what's lost can be found. You stand in the rain._

**Author Note: So what do you think? I wish to know! For those of you who are reading The Lycanthrope Trilogy, I will be writing this mostly, so updates for that story will be few and far between. Sorry! My inspiration gave out on me. Also, I love ideas for songs! So please, Please, PLEASE REVIEW! "Stand in the Rain"-Superchick. **


	2. Burned

**Guest: Thank you so much! You don't know how much that means to me!**

**Rebellious Lover: Thanks! I got Raven Dancer from the one-shot since I think it suits Kanda, even if he doesn't dance. You'll find out about Road later on. You'll find out about Allen's name in this chapter. Others you'll have to wait for. And I love "Unknown Soldier" and "World So Cold"! I have the CDs with them on it! And long reviews are very much encouraged!**

**MaxAngelOfDeath: Thank you for your review! Something will happen to his arm, but I will not say what. And yes, I love those songs!**

**Guest: Thanks!**

**Hanashi o suru: Thank you! I thought about rating it M to be safe, but I disliked the idea, so I tried extra hard to make it less graphic as far as the sex and violence, mostly violence.**

**SisBloodCarnivalOtaku: Thank you so much! You'll have to find out!**

**Lassenri: Thanks! And I'll take those songs into consideration. Love them! And you'll have to wait and see!**

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_**Chains**_

_Chapter 2: Burned_

_Borderline. Dead inside. I don't mind falling to pieces. Count me in. Violent. Let's begin feeding the sickness. How do I simplify? Dislocate. The enemy's on the way._

_Show me what it's like to dream in black and white. So I can leave this world tonight. _

― "_Unknown Soldier" by Breaking Benjamin_

It's been two months since I last saw Mana. Since I last saw Mr. Tiedoll. Since I last watched _Criminal Minds._ Since I last had a decent meal. Since I last slept in a bed.

Since I was kidnapped and forced into prostitution.

But with the others with me, it wasn't as bad as it could be. I hate it. I really do, but at least I have a family of some form.

I sit behind Kanda and run a fish spine through his hair, our makeshift brush. It worked well enough, I guess. I liked to brush his hair. It was soothing.

"Why don't they ever give you day shifts?" I ask as Daisya and Fou leave with Tyki.

"Tried to get away. Nearly made it, too," he said.

"What happened?"

"After about four years, they let me work a corner since I hadn't tried to escape for a few months, though I was being watched the whole time. After I took a client into a hotel room, I knocked him unconscious and crawled out of the bathroom window. Ran to the police. They arrested me for prostitution, but Tyki bailed me out and brought me back." Kanda sighed. "I never figured out whether they beat me into unconsciousness or if it was blood loss, but I was out for five days. That was the last time I tried to escape."

"Really?" I ask. "I figured you wouldn't have cared about a beating."

He stood abruptly and stalked towards the other side of our prison. I frown as he sits in the darkest corner.

"How'd you aggravate him?"

I look up at Lenalee. After I set the fish spine down, I lean against the wall. "Not sure. I only asked why he stopped trying to escape."

"They found out that his weakness is us."

I give her a confused look, and she explains, "I had been here for about a year when he tried the last time. After he woke up, they tied him up and forced him to watch while they made these." She pointed at the burns marks on her legs. A tear slipped down her cheek as she sat beside me. "I'm not even sure if my physical pain was greater than his emotional pain."

After she said it, the tunnel light came on. Tyki opened the cage door with his usual belt in hand. "I want some entertainment. Ecstasy, come on."

_That's Lenalee's name…._

"Do you really want a girl who will follow your every demand?"

As Kanda walks towards Tyki, I try to close my eyes, but can't. I've seen him seduce our owners before. Both times I nearly vomited, but I didn't have anything in my stomach to throw up. Lenalee looks down and whispers, "Kanda…don't…."

Tyki smirks. "Maybe I do. Though I like having to fight for my prize." He runs his tongue over his lips.

"She gets tired out too quickly." Kanda pressed himself against Tyki and moved the man's hands to his butt. "I can keep up with any treatment I'm given. She can't take it like I can."

In one lightning fast movement, Tyki wrapped his belt around Kanda's neck, not enough to choke him, but the bluenette went still. Tyki growled, "If you try to do anything, even hint at it, one of your little…clan members will get the beating for it. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Say it!"

Kanda gasped as the belt tightened. "I…I understand."

Once Tyki had taken Kanda to his room, Lenalee leaned against me while tears flowed down her cheeks. I wrap an arm around her, and she cuddled into my side. A scream resonated through the hall, though cut short. Lavi held Road while she cried. Everyone paired up, keeping each other strong.

That's when I see it. The cage door wasn't locked.

I pry Lenalee off of me. "Go to Lavi. I'm going to try to get help."

Her eyes widen and tremble as she clings to me. "No! You can't get out! They'll beat you!"

"But I have to try."

"Lenalee." Lavi gestured her to come to him. "He's going to try regardless of what you say."

She doesn't let go and whispers, "He knows what happened to Kanda. I…I don't want him to get hurt, too."

"I'll escape. And I'll send help for you and everyone," I tell her. Her grip slackens, and I wiggle away from her. She sniffles as she looks up at me with red, puffy eyes. "Be careful."

I nod and stand. When I opened the bar door, it creaked slightly. I wince, but don't stop. I glance at the doors to the different doors, unguarded. Raven Dancer for Kanda. Bunny Love for Lavi. Ecstasy for Lenalee. Sugar Berry for Daisya. Lioness Pride for Fou. Doll for Road. Chastity for Miranda. Black Beauty for Marie. And Snow White for me. It's disgusting.

Behind Kanda's door, I could hear a belt hitting skin and screams struggling against a gag. And Tyki's voice. "That's right. You're _my_ toy. My little servant."

At the end of the tunnel, there's a flight of stairs and a door at the top. I held my breath and darted up the steps, for each footfall a creak. The door knob felt cold under my skin, but I couldn't focus on it due to the pounding of my heart. Just as I go to turn the knob, the door opens on its own. The force sends me to my back against the stone floor. My breath vanishes for a moment as I close my eyes. Once the initial pain left, I take a breath. Then a hand grabs my hair.

I cry out as my captor drags me across the floor, and he asks, "Where were you going? Tyki won't appreciate any unplanned day shifts."

I claw at the hand in my hair and scream, "Let go of me!"

A door opens, followed by a curse. The relief of the hand leaving lasts for a split second before my oxygen is cut off as I dangle over the floor by my neck. I struggle to make him release me, but it's useless. Sapphire eyes gaze at me from the bed in the room while their owner pants, legs covered in blood. Lacerations oozed crimson on his back. Tears created trails on his dirty face, but never got past the filthy rag in his mouth, tied behind his head.

Tyki's golden eyes lock on me. He smirked. "Chain him up. Get the bleach."

oO_Oo_oO_Oo

"It…it…h-hurts…" I whimper. I taste tears in my mouth, but it's hardly noticeable in comparison to the pain in my left arm. Five minutes. They put my arm in bleach for five minutes. I never knew it could corrode my skin away. I never knew something could hurt so much.

I let out a choked scream as something is wrapped around my injury. A tongue lapped at my face, where they had left artwork from a knife. Tears dripped onto my skin as well. I whisper, "L…Lena…lee…?"

"Don't talk," a deep voice grumbled. "Moron."

"Kanda, don't…don't be so mean," Lenalee sniffled between licks.

"If I had been here, I would have whacked him myself," Kanda muttered.

Then there's another male voice. The second oldest boy in the Noah's trade. "But you weren't. You decided to let Tyki play with you instead."

"The last time he touched Lena, she couldn't walk for two days, not to mention how badly she ripped. Everyone knows it hurts more for a girl's entrance to rip than either gender's backdoor, Lavi."

"You aren't the only one here! I could've―"

"Please, don't fight," Lenalee whispered. "This isn't helping anything."

Kanda sighed. "This blanket isn't either. They'll get something to wrap it sometime before the next shift. I know they won't let it get infected, or else no one will buy Snow White."

"Do you think they planned to bleach his hair the whole time?"

"Probably."

"I'm right here, you know," I say hoarsely. Kanda scoffs. "It's kind of hard to miss."

There's rustling beside me before small hands clasp my right arm. "You'll be okay, right? Right, Allen?"

I smile the best I can, probably more of a grimace, and I glance at the blue-haired girl. "Yeah, Road. I'll be okay."

At that moment, I hear Tyki say, "Here's some wrapping. Better make good use of it."

A minute later, Kanda says, "This'll hurt."

He was right. Cotton on raw flesh feels like sandpaper grinding salt into your eye mixed with a little bit of battery acid. Not pleasant.

Once that was done, I open my eyes and look at Kanda, panting. "Thank you."

He nods.

"Kanda?" Road asks. He glances at her as she crawls into his lap and curls up against him. She continues, "Will you sing for us?"

"Yeah," Lenalee says. Daisya and Fou had returned during my "surgery". The young boy asks, "Please?"

Kanda looks down at the girl in his lap, and I could barely make out her bottom lip poking out. He sighs. "I suppose one song won't kill me."

In the time I've been here, I never once heard him sing. Fou said he was good though, even if his voice is somewhat weak from starvation, dehydration, and pain.

Kanda asks, "What song?"

"'All These Lives' by Doggy," Road says. He runs a hand through her hair. "It's Daughtry, not 'doggy'."

She sticks her tongue out. Kanda closes his eyes and leans against the stone wall. "Doesn't come down when she calls, 'It's time for breakfast'. Mama can't get down those halls fast enough to see. Glass is sprayed across the floor from the broken window. She can't breathe anymore, can't deny what we know. They're gonna find you, just believe. You're not a person; you're a disease.

"All these lives that you've been taking. Deep inside, my heart is breaking. Broken homes from separation. Don't you know it's violation? It's so wrong, but you'll see. Never gonna let you take my world from me. The world outside these walls may know you're breathing, but you ain't coming in."

Kanda coughed and rubbed his chest. Road yawned. After a few breaths, the bluenette wraps his arms around her, kissing her crown. "Go to sleep. We still have a few hours before the nightshift."

Road went out more quickly than a candle dropped in the ocean. Eyes closed, I heard rustling and felt blankets pushed around me and under my head. Hands clutched what was left of my clothing or slid over my waist and chest. It didn't bother me. Everyone stole each other's heat, and in this case, everyone wanted to be next to an injured brother.

"You're a moron, you know that?"

I sigh. "Lenalee might smack you if she hears this conversation."

"They're asleep," Kanda says. He pauses. "Except for Lavi."

"Nothing gets past you, does it?" I feel a jaw moving against my thigh as the said thigh is used as a pillow.

"You never sleep with bent legs. Even if you drift off that way, you straighten them afterwards."

"Good to know."

I feel Kanda's eyes on me as he says, "I don't expect you to try that again. It was stupid to begin with."

"You're a hypocrite," I say.

"He just doesn't want anyone getting hurt. Other than himself, that is," Lavi said.

"For some reason, I think his reasoning is flawed," I reply.

"You and me both."

Kanda says, "Go to sleep. Moyashi, you especially need it, though I don't think they'll put you back on duty for a few days."

I nod. I'd learned early on not to argue with him, but I usually do anyways.

Oo_oO_Oo_oO

The next day, after Kanda split up the food evenly, we ate in silence, chewing the white parts of our molded bread. The leaky pipe in the ceiling was our source of water, which we collected with a bucket. On the Noah's bath nights, Tyki leaves us a bucket of used, soapy water and another of clean water. Of course, we drink the clean water and use the water from the pipe to clean up with.

Miranda and Lenalee always took care of washing the others. Three months ago, a girl washing every part of me other than my private area…it would never happen. Yet I sat on a blanket while Miranda carefully scrubbed me down. No awkwardness. No embarrassment. Just a girl taking care of her brother. Plus a little massage at the end.

After everyone else, Lenalee and Miranda doubled their efforts on Kanda, who had the most wounds and dirt on him. I wouldn't want to be the big brother of this family, even if I would get special treatment during bath time.

Road always seemed the most content after a bath. She and Daisya get treated first and are always given special attention, but it was sweet to watch Miranda and Lenalee act like little mamas.

Kanda hissed quietly. Lenalee quickly said, "I'm sorry!"

"It's fine, Lena."

Kanda reached for his jeans and dug out something yellowish-orange. "Road and Daisya, come here."

The youngest children sat in front of him. He handed the pack of crackers to Daisya. "You each get three."

"Thank you, Kanda!" they said in unison and each hugged one of his arms.

"You, Lavi, and Marie are the biggest," Lenalee said quietly.

"Road and Daisya are still growing."

"We're all still growing."

"They need it the most."

I sigh. "It's useless to argue with him."

"Yes, listen to Moyashi."

"It's Allen, BaKanda."

"You know Japanese?"

"A little from traveling. How do you know it?"

He went quiet for a moment. "I was born in Japan. The Noah kidnapped me on the way home from school."

"I'm sorry."

Kanda doesn't reply. After he got dressed, he moved to my side. While he unwrapped my arm, he asked, "Do you remember Jack?"

"The guy from my first night?" I ground out.

"He said he'd bring fresh wrapping every night."

"Tell him 'thank you' for me," I whisper. It didn't hurt as badly as the night before, but it still hurt. I bite my lip until the metallic taste of blood taints my tongue. Kanda growls, "No. If men like him didn't exist in the world, there would be no money in sex trafficking, and if there's no money, no one would do it."

_She puts on her work clothes, fishnet pantyhose. She's got a nickname everybody knows at the gentlemen's club. She clocks in at midnight, even though it never feels right. Makes her money one dollar at a time. Without the makeup, nobody knows her name. And she wears the pain._

_Black tears rolling down from the eyes of an angel in a sinner's town. She reveals, and they all cheer. And she cries black tears._

― "_Black Tears" by Jason Aldean_

**Author Note: Yay, an update! If you're happy about it as much as I am, please, Please, PLEASE REVIEW!**

**By the way, I haven't had this happen to this story, but in the past two months, I've gotten several reviews with criticism. Not constructive criticism. Just criticism. Maybe this isn't the same for everyone, but I consider constructive criticism as advice for writing, not the story. I got someone who PMed me saying, "Please, warn properly…" My first thought was, "If you read the big letters at the top that said "WARNING", maybe you would have been warned. Anyways, just saying that as soon as I figure out how, I will delete all stupid reviews. Thank you, and I love you all! **


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